They had only reached the halfway point down the mountain when a disciple dressed in the gray robes of an attendant came hurrying toward them.
His steps were quick, and there was a trace of nervousness on his face.
The moment he spotted Yu Jin, he immediately approached her.
“Senior Sister Yu Jin.”
His voice was deliberately lowered.
Yu Jin stopped.
The attendant came to a halt in front of her, but instead of speaking at once, he glanced around as though making sure no one nearby was paying attention.
Only then did he step closer and whisper several words into Yu Jin’s ear.
Yu Jin listened without interrupting.
At first, there was no obvious change in her expression.
Gradually, however, the light in her eyes dimmed, and the faint smile left behind by her conversation with Lin Qiqi slowly disappeared.
By the time the attendant finished speaking, her expression had turned completely serious.
Yu Jin remained silent for a moment before giving a small nod.
“I understand.”
That was all she said.
Lin Qiqi immediately noticed that something was wrong.
The relaxed expression she had worn moments earlier disappeared, and she hurried closer.
“What happened?”
Yu Jin did not answer.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the water flask in her hand as she lifted her gaze toward the main peak.
It rose high above the surrounding mountains, its upper reaches hidden behind layers of drifting clouds and mist.
Normally, the sight was peaceful enough to resemble a painting—quiet, distant, and untouched.
But for some reason, the main peak seemed unusually heavy at that moment.
Yu Jin stared at it for several seconds.
“I need to go to the main peak,” she said in a low voice.
Lin Qiqi froze.
“The main peak?”
Then, as though realizing something, she quickly asked, “Did the Sect Master summon you?”
“Mm.”
Yu Jin nodded.
She turned back toward Lin Qiqi, and when she spoke again, her tone had already returned to normal.
“You go back first.
I’ll come and find you later.”
She gave the girl a reassuring look.
Lin Qiqi clearly wanted to ask more.
Her lips parted, but after looking at Yu Jin’s expression, she eventually swallowed her questions.
“…Okay.”
She nodded obediently.
Even after turning away, however, Lin Qiqi was obviously still worried.
She walked several steps before looking back.
After a few more steps, she glanced over her shoulder again.
Yu Jin remained where she was and watched her leave.
Only when Lin Qiqi’s small figure finally disappeared at the end of the mountain path did Yu Jin turn around.
Instead of heading directly toward the main peak, she made her way toward the rear mountain.
The Scripture Pavilion stood deep within the rear mountain, surrounded on all sides by dense bamboo forest.
Few disciples usually ventured this far.
The farther Yu Jin walked, the quieter her surroundings became.
At first, she could still hear the occasional rustle of bamboo leaves.
Gradually, even that sound disappeared.
The bamboo stalks stood motionless around her.
There was no rustling of leaves, no birdsong, nothing but the faint sound of Yu Jin’s footsteps against the stone path.
Step by step, she continued forward.
The unnatural silence made her slow down without realizing it.
Eventually, the Scripture Pavilion appeared through the bamboo ahead.
Yu Jin stopped before its doors.
For a moment, she simply stood there and studied the quiet building.
Then she reached out and pressed her palm against the wooden door.
Creak—
The door slowly swung inward.
A familiar scent of sandalwood drifted out from inside.
Yu Jin stepped across the threshold.
The interior of the Scripture Pavilion was quiet.
She had been here before.
The scent of sandalwood, the rows of wooden shelves, and the muted light filtering through the windows should not have felt unfamiliar.
Yet after taking only a few steps, her breathing suddenly caught.
Something was different.
The air had not become heavier, nor did she sense any immediate danger.
Instead, it felt as though the entire space had been silently suppressed by something invisible.
There was no obvious pressure, yet the stillness made her instinctively hold her breath.
Yu Jin frowned slightly but continued forward.
Her footsteps fell softly against the wooden floor as her gaze moved across the room.
Then, almost by accident, she looked toward the window.
Yu Jin froze.
Someone was standing there.
A figure dressed in long silver-white robes stood beside the window, half within the pale morning light and half within shadow.
The hem of his robe rested quietly between light and darkness.
He did not move or speak.
He simply stood there as though he had been waiting for a long time.
Yu Jin’s heart suddenly missed a beat.
Her footsteps stopped.
She remained where she was, staring at him without making a sound.
Then something surfaced in her mind.
A fragment of memory.
Blurred and broken.
Flames surged before her eyes.
Golden light spread across the sky.
A distant figure stood somewhere above the clouds.
She had seen this person before.
In the dream.
Yu Jin’s eyes widened slightly.
There was no mistake.
The man standing beside the window was the same person she had seen in her dream.
For a moment, Yu Jin was unable to move.
The realization came so suddenly that even her thoughts seemed to freeze.
The person she had seen in that strange dream had actually appeared before her.
Here.
In Qingqiu.
Disbelief flashed through her eyes. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
The dream had already been strange enough.
Even after waking, its images had remained unusually vivid, refusing to fade no matter how hard she tried to dismiss them.
Now, someone who should have existed only within that dream was standing directly in front of her.
He was real and close enough for her to see clearly.
Yu Jin’s fingers tightened slightly at her side.
Before she could fully process what was happening, the man seemed to sense her presence.
He slowly turned around.
His movements were unhurried, yet for some reason, Yu Jin found herself unable to look away.
His gaze settled on her.
Cold.
Deep.
Completely still.
There was no visible emotion in his eyes—no surprise, no curiosity, not even the slightest hint of recognition.
Yet his gaze carried a strange weight that made it impossible to ignore.
Yu Jin did not retreat, nor did she look away.
She simply stood where she was and met his eyes.
Neither of them spoke.
The Scripture Pavilion seemed to grow even quieter.
The faint scent of sandalwood lingered in the air as pale morning light filtered silently through the window.
Dust drifted slowly through the narrow beams of light, undisturbed by even the slightest breeze.
The silence stretched between them.
Yu Jin’s breathing gradually slowed.
She could not explain why, but the longer he looked at her, the stronger the strange feeling became.
It did not feel as though he was merely looking at her face or observing the person standing before him.
His gaze seemed to reach deeper.
Past her calm expression.
Past everything visible on the surface.
Past whatever she might try to conceal.
It was as though something buried deep within her had been exposed beneath that silent gaze.
Yu Jin did not like the feeling.
Her fingers tightened again.
At that moment, a faint warmth stirred inside her chest.
Yu Jin’s eyes shifted almost imperceptibly.
Again.
That warmth.
It was not strong, nor did it surge violently through her body as it had when Du Ziheng attacked her.
This time, however, she could feel it clearly.
A thin current of heat moved quietly through her body, unmistakable in the stillness of the room.
Yu Jin instinctively suppressed it.
She steadied her breathing and kept her expression unchanged, unwilling to let the man opposite her notice anything unusual.
At least, she hoped he had not noticed.
The man continued to look at her.
For a moment, Yu Jin wondered whether the silence would continue indefinitely.
Then, without warning, he finally spoke.
His voice was low and calm.
“Things haven’t been very peaceful lately…”
He paused, his gaze remaining fixed on her.
“…have they?”